o0lux0o's Blog

It was very sad to see Montel sign off for the last time today. I have a great deal of respect for him and I think a lot of people do. He has preached personal responsibility; opened peoples eyes to political, social, and personal problems. He has shown us the face of human perseverance through tragedy. Sure he also had a bit of fun with less relevant topics but for the most part, his show has been a beacon of information. I must say I'll miss not seeing a new episode of the show on a daily bases.

If it seems like his announcement for the shows end was abrupt, it's because it was. Before I go on lets get the facts clear, CBS Distribution canceled the show after multiple major market Fox stations decided not to renew his contract for the 2008-2009 season. There has been speculation as to why his show is going off the air so suddenly. The most popular one has to do with his appearance on Fox & Friends, January 30, 2008. He was brought on to talk about the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger. When he was asked for his thoughts he turned the table of them and instead talked about how ridiculous it is for them and other news programs to cover the tragic death of this young man and not even mention the fact that approximately 28 men and women had died that month so far in Iraq and not one mention of a name. The very people who fight for us and do their job so that we all can sit here starring into our computer screens get a 5 second slot of "15 soldiers died today in a tragic road side bombing in Iraq" yet they spend half the news cast talking about Heath's death? Whether you think the wars are right or wrong is completely irrelevant, these soldiers put their asses on the line for us.... all of US, and that demands respect. Period.

I think this theory makes tons of sense. A sudden announcement of the ending of his show after this event on Fox & Friends, I highly doubt its a coincidence. Montel is one of the highest rated shows on TV, why would they cancel a high rated show? Right? So all I have to say to the Fox stations who made this possible is F you. F you for doing a disservice to the American people by continuing to make the tragedy's happening in the Middle East a 5-10 second snippet on your broadcasts, F you for canceling Montel for speaking truth to power, and F you for keeping the American people blind. I don't want any of the news casters or web people to think I'm talking about them, I know you guys don't get to choose what goes on the air and what doesn't. I'm talking to the wannabe producers in the back making all the decisions to put crap on the program instead of substance.

I wish Montel the very best and I hope he doesn't go away. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future. Thank you Montel for everything, for the laughs, the tears, and most of all for the knowledge. You will be missed.

P.S. Here is the video of the Fox & Friends incident:

Once a disorganized hate group of hackers, Anonymous has certainly flipped the switch. They organize in impressive numbers and fight for what they feel are injustices. Or at least thats whats claimed. Is Anonymous actually reformed? Or are they simply trying to trick the public?

Anonymous first enemy wasn't a church, it was any common internet user it chose to target. They hacked people accounts on MySpace and other websites posting their information on forums where they loosely organized for vandals to slander peoples pages. In some cases they poster homosexual content, in others they posted racist text and imagery. At one point they even targeted children and young teens by invading the popular Habbo Hotel website. They came in large numbers creating black characters with afros in black suits and blocking kids from entering game maps. In a well documented case (you can find this video on YouTube) they even attempted to form a swastika blockade.



However, in late 2007 they grew from a few hundred to literally thousands. Seemingly having a change of heart, they took on a cause instead of vandalism. They decided to take on the Church of Scientology and it's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Equally a church and man with many critics and naysayers. The church has many documented cases of infiltration of US government offices, claims of abuse by ex Scientologist's, claims that they split families apart, and even claims of wrongful death by families and friends (They don't believe in taking medication). Hubbard was said to be involved in the occult previous to his founding of the his church. His ex-wives also claim he beat them. He passed away from a stroke and toxicologists found traces of the drug Vistaril in his body (again, keep in mind he preached against drugs). They've organized a number of protests where members and other opponents around the world rally outside of Scientology churches peacefully. However, the Church has not taken their protests lying down. They have been known to set up speakers blaring out Scientology messages in order to drown out the megaphones and shouting voices.



These masked men and women claim not to have a leader. They simply chose a protest date and organize. Or in their words, "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget."

And so I leave you with these questions:

Do you think these people are honest in their turn around?
Do you think they have a right to protest against Scientology?
Do you think its right for them to protest against Scientology?
Do you think they are a dangerous group?
Do you think Scientology is a dangerous church/group/cult (whatever you think they are)?



Here is a video of our very own, Fox 11's Leelila Strogov doing a story on a recent protest.


Note: The lady in the top hat that talk first is a well known critic who says shes an ex Scientologist of 30 years.

Notice: This is a blog about Irish-Mexican history so if you don't care to learn it or are some how offended, do yourself the favor of not reading past this red text, thanks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A little known fact is that the Irish have a rich history with Mexico. Mexico even had a full blooded Irish President, Álvaro Obregón (O'Brian). Many Irish also fought for Mexico during the Mexican American war to help their fellow Catholic brothers and sisters.

Mexicans and Irishmen are not just brothers in alcoholism lol.

Here's a story from USA Today about the "Batallón de San Patricio" (St. Patrick's Battalion), the Irishmen who fought for Mexico during the Mexican American war:




Bagpipers play in honor of the St. Patrick Battalion at the former Churusbusco monastery in Mexico City.

Bagpipers honor Irish who fought for Mexico

By Chris Hawley,
Source: USA TODAY
MEXICO CITY — Every month, a wail of bagpipes reverberates through a plaza in downtown Mexico City, causing startled passersby to stop and stare.

Then, from behind the bullet-scarred walls of an old fortress, a platoon of Mexican bagpipers emerges through the gates — paying tribute to an obscure but divisive chapter of history involving Mexico, Ireland and the United States.

The ceremony honors the St. Patrick Battalion, a group of 600 Irish-American soldiers who switched sides to fight for Mexico in the 1846-1848 Mexican-American War. On St. Patrick's Day, many Mexicans will raise a glass to commemorate the "Irish martyrs" who are regarded as heroes in a war that still arouses passions here.

"It's a little bit of a weird twist on history … and quite romantic for the Irish community," said Myles Doherty, the Irish consul in Mexico City.

The battalion's story begins with Ireland's Potato Famine of the 1840s, which forced thousands of Irish to emigrate to the USA and other countries.

In May 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico in a dispute over the boundaries of Texas. Many of the desperate Irish were recruited for the war, sometimes within days of landing in New York, said Carlos Mayer, a Mexico City historian and expert on the battalion.

Most of the American commanders were Protestants, and they treated these Roman Catholic immigrants badly, Mayer said. Mexico offered land and higher wages to its recruits. As the fighting wore on, some of the U.S. recruits began to grow restless.

"Many of them began to realize that Mexico was a fellow Catholic country that was being invaded and that was really defenseless in the face of the American military superiority," he said. "So they began switching sides."

San Patricios

The deserters became known as the San Patricios and were led by John Riley, an artilleryman who had fought in the British army. They were joined by a few Swiss, French, Scottish and German recruits, most of them also Catholic.

Called los colorados, or "the redheads," by their Mexican comrades, they fought against the Americans at the key battles of Monterrey, Buena Vista and Cerro Gordo.

The Americans eventually reached the outskirts of Mexico City on Aug. 20, 1847. Mexican forces, with the remaining San Patricios handling the artillery, pounded the Americans from a monastery-turned-fort on the Churubusco River until they ran out of ammunition. Thirty-five San Patricios died in the battle, 85 were captured, and another 85 retreated with the remnants of the Mexican army.

On Sept. 13, 1847, the Americans seized Chapultepec Castle in the war's last major battle. San Patricios who had deserted before the war were branded by the Americans with the letter "D" on one cheek. The rest were hanged, including 30 who were executed at the foot of Chapultepec Hill.

"They were hanged at the moment that the American flag was raised over the castle of Chapultepec, so that they would take that sight to hell with them," Mayer said.

Mexico lost nearly half its territory as a result of the war, while the United States gained California and the Southwest. Even today, many Mexican school textbooks portray the war as an unjust land grab by the United States that led to the divergent economic paths followed by the two neighbors.

Monthly commemoration

The former monastery of Churubusco, where the San Patricios were defeated, is a national museum dedicated to the invasions Mexico has suffered. The bullet holes are still in the walls, and the cannons commanded by John Riley stand outside.

Every first Sunday of the month, the St. Patrick Battalion Pipe Band plays in the soldiers' honor. On several weekends, an actor portraying Riley gives talks to schoolchildren and tourists. The battalion's name is written in gold letters in the chamber of Mexico's House of Representatives.

The San Patricios were seen much differently in the USA, even by fellow Irish immigrants, said Ian McGowan, archivist at the Institute for Irish-American Studies at the City University of New York.

"For a good 40 or 50 years, they were almost completely forgotten about," McGowan said. "The unofficial position of Irish who were looking to become Americans in the 19th century was not to discuss them."

Recently, Americans have begun to pay more attention to the battalion. Several books have been written in the past decade and the 1999 movie One Man's Hero was about Riley.

Bernard Brennan, an Irish-American tourist from San Francisco, said he learned about the battalion from a Mexican friend. On a recent afternoon, he snapped pictures of a carved stone plaque on the plaza where 16 of the Irish soldiers were hanged.

"In memory of the Irish soldiers of the heroic St. Patrick Battalion, who gave their lives for the cause of Mexico during the unjust American invasion of 1847," the plaque says.

Brennan said he doesn't see the soldiers as traitors.

"As an Irish-American, I'm proud of them," he said. "Sometimes you have to stand up and say, 'What my country is doing is wrong.' I think they're heroes, heroes of conscience."


This was the flag they fought under

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa passed a law yesterday (Feb. 26th) that requires cats and dogs to be spayed or neutered by the time they are 4 months. It's about time something is done about the over population of dogs and cats in LA. We live in a society where 64% of the animals that go into shelters are euthanized every year. That translates to 9.6 million dead animals a year! I hope more county's follow our lead and implement similar laws. There are too many innocent creatures awaiting their death in shelters across America. This needs to end NOW. For those of you who feel the lives of these animals aren't very important, than think of the money we can save by not having to house and euthanize millions of animals a year. Money that can be better spent elsewhere. It really is a win win situation for everyone.